For their 2nd EP, Seattle's Slave Traitor deliver six flowing tracks of sludge and doom infused death metal, complete with some bluesy leads and gruff vocals. I could liken this to a less aggressive EyeHateGod, or a less noisy Buzz*oven as far as its riffs are concerned."Wilderness of Mirrors" opens the EP and I believe this is the real strong point. It develops a nice atmosphere in its opening riffs and then kicks out a groovy jam with angry vocals, and a little death metal riff over the chorus. I wasn't feeling "Burning Sniper" or "Pill Cutter" as much, both have a groovy sludge dynamic to them with some more uplifting melodic riffs. "The Middle Passage" has a stony heavy metal vibe, and the vocals on this track are pretty nice, it's like a death metal Cirith Ungol, Cathedral or Trouble. It's another of the better tracks. "Insult" rocks out but there is little of note after its initial driving rhythm. "Dust in the Wound" is grooving and angry, with some nice gang shouts.
The EP sounds spectacular, with the perfect bite to the guitars and the vocals sit just above at the proper volume. I also dig the band's aesthetic, especially the cover art with the gasmask visor reflection of a Seattle holocaust. Gives it a sort of thrash feel which actually meshes well with the band's music. I did enjoy a few songs here, but others not so much. Maybe next time. They've definitely got a strong style and if you dig heavier doom with some groove to it (Eyehategod, Grief, etc) then you might get more from this.
Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]
http://www.slavetraitor.com/home.html
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